Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and operation method of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

Abstract

There are provided an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and an operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus capable of performing polarization processing during the execution period of ultrasound diagnosis without affecting the image quality of an ultrasound image. In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and the operation method of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of the invention, a trigger generation circuit generates a trigger for starting polarization processing. After a trigger is given, during the execution period of ultrasound diagnosis, in a non-diagnosis period which is a period other than a period for acquiring an image of each frame and during which transmission of ultrasound waves and reception of reflected waves for performing ultrasound diagnosis are not performed, within each frame time in which an image of each frame of an ultrasound image is acquired, a control circuit performs polarization processing on a plurality of ultrasound transducers.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for acquiring an ultrasound image and an endoscope image, comprising:
 an ultrasound endoscope comprising an ultrasound observation portion that transmits ultrasound waves using an ultrasound transducer array in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers are arranged, receives reflected waves of the ultrasound waves, and outputs a reception signal; and 
 an ultrasound processor apparatus that generates the ultrasound image by converting the reception signal into an image, 
 wherein the ultrasound processor apparatus comprises: 
 a trigger generation circuit that generates a trigger for starting polarization processing; and 
 a control circuit that performs the polarization processing on the plurality of ultrasound transducers after the trigger is given. 
 
     
     
       2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plurality of ultrasound transducers on the ultrasound transducer array are put together into a plurality of groups, and the polarization processing is performed on a set of ultrasound transducers of each of the plurality of groups, independently for each of the plurality of groups. 
 
     
     
       3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the polarization processing is performed on the set of ultrasound transducers of each of the plurality of groups, independently for each of the plurality of groups, using a different polarization processing signal. 
 
     
     
       4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein a polarization processing time is different for each set of ultrasound transducers of each of the plurality of groups. 
 
     
     
       5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the plurality of groups include a group of a central portion of the ultrasound transducer array and groups of end portions of the ultrasound transducer array, and the polarization processing time of the group of the central portion of the ultrasound transducer array is longer than that of the groups of the end portions of the ultrasound transducer array. 
 
     
     
       6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the polarization processing time is extended by a plurality of times of transmission of a polarization processing signal. 
 
     
     
       7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the trigger generation circuit generates the trigger in a case where a display depth of the ultrasound image is set to a predetermined depth or more. 
 
     
     
       8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a transmission circuit that transmits a drive signal for driving the plurality of ultrasound transducers for acquiring the ultrasound image and a transmission circuit that transmits a polarization processing signal for performing the polarization processing are the same, and transmission processing and the polarization processing of the ultrasound waves are switched and performed by different transmission signals. 
 
     
     
       9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a piezoelectric element forming the ultrasound transducer is formed of a single crystal and has a thickness of 75 μm to 125 μm. 
 
     
     
       10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a drive frequency of the ultrasound transducer is 7 MHz to 8 MHz. 
 
     
     
       11. An operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for acquiring an ultrasound image and an endoscope image, comprising:
 transmitting ultrasound waves using an ultrasound transducer array in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers are arranged, receiving reflected waves of the ultrasound waves, and outputting a reception signal with an ultrasound observation portion that an ultrasound endoscope of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises; and 
 generating the ultrasound image by converting the reception signal into an image with an ultrasound processor apparatus of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, 
 wherein the generation of the ultrasound image includes: 
 generating a trigger for starting polarization processing with a trigger generation circuit of the ultrasound processor apparatus; and 
 performing the polarization processing on the plurality of ultrasound transducers with a control circuit of the ultrasound processor apparatus. 
 
     
     
       12. The operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein a control circuit of the ultrasound processor apparatus transmits different polarization processing signals to a plurality of groups of the plurality of ultrasound transducers. 
 
     
     
       13. The operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 12 ,
 wherein a polarization processing time is different for each of the plurality of groups. 
 
     
     
       14. The operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the plurality of groups include a group of a central portion of the ultrasound transducer array and groups of end portions of the ultrasound transducer array, and the polarization processing time of the group of the central portion of the ultrasound transducer array is longer than that of the groups of the end portions of the ultrasound transducer array. 
 
     
     
       15. The operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the polarization processing time is extended by a plurality of times of transmission of a polarization processing signal. 
 
     
     
       16. The operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein the trigger generation circuit generates the trigger in a case where a display depth of the ultrasound image is set to a predetermined depth or more. 
 
     
     
       17. The operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein transmission processing and the polarization processing of the ultrasound waves are switched and performed by different transmission signals.